New Delhi : DFID India held a webinar today to disseminate the findings and recommendations of an independent study on ‘Productivity Benefits of Apprenticeship Trainings in India’ commissioned by it. The study findings and recommendations were presented to Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and other key stakeholders from the skills ecosystem.
The event was attended by over 120 delegates from across Government, Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), Third Party Aggregators (TPAs) and Industry players. Ms. Anu Gupta, Head of Skills, DFID India opened the webinar briefing participants about DFID’s work in India and about the mandate of Skill for Jobs Programme including on apprenticeships. Mr. Surajit Roy, Senior Head (Apprenticeships), NSDC referred to the comprehensive reforms initiated to drive apprenticeships for increasing employability, thereby setting the context of the study.
Ms. Sunita Sanghi, Senior Adviser, MSDE was the keynote speaker. She spoke about road-map towards increasing apprentices in India. Her suggestions included integrating apprenticeships with other short-term training programmes, making apprenticeships aspirational and possible interventions to reduce the complexity of reimbursement procedures.
The findings shared by Dalberg advisors focused on employers’ perception on value derived from apprenticeships as well as challenges associated with the implementation. Two thirds of the survey respondents see net positive value in apprenticeship, 57% see long term benefits in apprenticeship training and there are returns to be made even during apprenticeship period. Tapping larger enterprises to utilize their full potential, using cluster-based approach, addressing operational pain points etc. were some of the key recommendations.
The webinar witnessed the active participation from the delegates who made meaningful suggestions on various aspects such as on mechanisms of stipend disbursal, simplification of procedures and integration of apprenticeship across skilling ecosystem. A gist of suggestions made will be shared for consideration of policy makers.
The webinar ended with a vote of thanks from DFID and NSDC.
